Oct.  i,  1892,] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST*. 
281 
ME.  JACKSON  ON  TEA  IN  INDIA  AND  CEYLON 
AND  ON  HIS  PEOJECTED  TEA  WITHEEEE. 
The  representative  of  the  “ Times  ” has  regularly 
“ interviewed  ” Mr.  Jackson  (see  extract  below) 
regarding  his  projected  witherer,  Mr.  Jackson  told 
us  that,  when  in  India,  he  had  seen  some  patented 
machines,  the  principle  of  which  he  regarded  as  good 
although  the  machines  themselves  were  imperfeot  in 
execution  and  action.  Believing  that  he  could 
improve  upon  the  principle  and  the  action 
of  the  machines,  he  pursued  the  honourable 
course  of  purchasing  the  patents  at  some 
considerable  cost  Mr.  Jaokson,  it  will  be 
seen,  was  “ reticent  but  the  witherer  which  is 
in  course  of  trial  on  Great  Western,  we  now 
feel  justified  in  saying,  will  combine  the 
use  of  Blackman’s  fans  with  trollies  by  which 
the  tea  leaves  to  be  withered  will  be  carried 
forward  through  the  space  on  which  the  fans  are 
acting.  We  believe  Mr.  Jackson  does  not  antici- 
pate the  entire  supersession  of  withering  lefts 
by  the  maohine  which  he  hopes  to  perfect,  but 
rather  that  it  should  be  a valuable  adjunct  to 
Bach  lofts,  especially  in  weather  unfavourable  for 
the  ordinary  withering  process.  Pending  the  pro- 
duction of  a really  effective  withering  machine, 
it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  Mr.  Jackson’s 
“ Britannia  ” and  other  driers  are  to  a large  ex- 
tent useful  in  the  withering  of  green  leaf. 
We  suppose  that  Mr.  Jackson  is  oorrect  in 
stating  that  what  is  considered  inferior  jat  tea 
cannot  be  got  to  flush  in  Assam  as  it  can  be 
in  Ceylon.  On  the  higher  Ceylon  estates  especi- 
ally we  have  no' iced  that  tea  bushes  which  in 
large  leafage  appealed  to  the  eye  as  of  high  class 
and  nearly  approaching  Assam  indigenous,  does 
not  flush  so  plentifully  as  a lower  looking  jat 
does,  while  we  have  not  discovered  compensation 
in  better  quality.  On  mountain  estates  a medium 
jat  does  better  than  what  is  deemed  first  class. — 
If  Mr.  Jackson  correotly  judges  that  the  supe- 
riority in  Assam  tea  is  due  to  the  opening  up  of 
Eew  gardens  on  superior  virgin  soil,  the  old,  even 
when  yielding  as  Mariawatte  doe?,  being  abandoned, 
then  indeed  Ceylon  oannot  possibly  compete  with 
Assam.  But  Assam  is  a very  comjrrehensh  e 
term,  embracing  not  only  the  valleys  of  Assam 
proper  (Brahmaputra,  Surma,  &o.)  but  the  speci- 
ally moist  district  of  Sylhet,  the  teas  from  which 
do  not  share  in  the  high  prices  realized  by  the 
teas  of  Assam  proper.  We  cannot  help  thinking, 
therefore,  that  not  merely  soil  but  meteorological 
conditions  affect  the  problem.  In  the  very  wet 
districts  of  Ceylon  and  in  very  wet  weather  in 
other  districts,  weknowthere  is  much  difficulty  in  pro- 
ducing good  tea.  It  becomes  Ceylon  planters, 
therefore,  to  see  if  they  cannot  by  the  judicious 
use  of  fertilizers  improve  their  soil,  while  such 
appliances  as  Mr.  Jackson’s  withering  machine 
may  enable  them  to  overcome  the  inimical  influences 
of  a damp  climate. 
A CHAT  WITH  ME.  W.  JACKSON. 
TEA  IN  CEYLON  AND  INDIA  : TEA  WITHEREES. 
Mr.  Wm.  Jackson,  who  has  just  won  his  case  in 
the  Supreme  Court  against  the  Colombo  Commercial 
Company  with  regard  to  their  alleged  infringement  of 
his  tea-roller  patent,  leaves  Ceylon  today  (Sept.  15th) 
by  the  P.  & O.  steamear  “ Rome  ” for  London.  The 
case,  Mr.  Jackson  is  aware,  will  be  carried  to  the  Privy 
Council,  and  he  returns  not  only  to  watch  his  own  in- 
terests in  London,  but  also  to  carry  out  several  im- 
provements in  tea  machinery  which  he  has  already  pro- 
jected. He  returned  from  Calcutta  about  four  months 
ago  having,  whilst  away,  visited  most  of  the  Indian 
tea  districts.  Mr.  Jackson,  in  reply  to  an  inquiry 
from  our  representative  as  to  how  it  was  that  Assam 
36 
| gardens  were  getting  such  high  prices  for  their  tea 
at  this  time,  remarked,  with  a smile:  “Well,  you  see 
in  the  olden  days,  when  I was  a planter  in  India, 
we  did  not  care  very  much  about  seed  or  soil ; but 
pitched  upon  spots  to  open  gardens  where  transport 
was  easy  and  labor  fairly  abundant.  But,  nowadays, 
with  Ceylon  competition  so  keen  it  is  necessary  to 
pay  attention  to  other  matters,  and  every  care  is 
taken  to  obtain  good  seed  and-  good  soil,  resulting 
in  fine  prices.  Why,  I have  seen  500  acres  of  as 
tine  tea  as  Mariawatte  abandoned  because  it  would 
not  pay,  for  poor  jat  will  not  flush  in  India  as  it 
does  here.  Nowadays  only  the  finest  plots  of  land — • 
and  there  are  magnificent  blocks  of  forest  there — are 
planted  with  tea,  and  Assam  planters  are  gradually 
abandoning  their  old  fields  and  opening  new  land. 
This  is  why  they  secure  good  prices..'’ 
THE  COST  OF  PRODUCTION. 
What  about  cost  of  production  ? Well,  perhaps,  they 
are  not  so  well  off  as  you  are  in  Ceylon.  They  have 
not  such  good  roads  or  such  excellent  means  of 
communication,  which  cheapen  production.  But 
their  expenses  are  being  rapidly  reduced,  and  some 
gardens  compare  favourably  even  with  Ceylon.  Take 
the  Borjuli  garden  for  instance — one  of  the  finest  in 
Assam.  It  gave  15  niaunds  all  over,  and  the  tea  is 
laid  down  in  London  at  3|d.  a lb. ! Ceylon  can  do  the 
same  I know,  for  many  Kelani  Valley  places  can  lay 
down  their  tea  in  London  for  this,  but  they  don’t  get 
15  maunds  regularly  over  a large  acreage.  I have  seen 
stems  of  trees  as  thick  as  my  leg,  and  every  tree 
the  same,  due  to  the  fine  soil  and  to  the  system  of 
plucking  which  allows  the  trees  to  grow  more.  In 
Ceylon  this  style  of  plucking  cannot  be  followed. 
MR.  JACKSON’S  NEW  WITHERER. 
Asked  regarding  the  new  witherer  he  is  bringing 
out.  Mr.  Jackson  was  somewhat  reticent,  but  laid 
that  it  was  an  improvement  on  Turton's  machine 
brought  out  in  India,  the  patent  of  which  he  has 
purchased  for  a large  sum.  Several  of  these  machines 
are  at  work  in  India,  the  Jhansi  Association  having 
withered  the  whole  of  their  leaf  for  the  last  two 
years,  no  matter  whether  the  weather  were  favourable 
or  not,  in  the  witherer  An  improvement  on  the 
original  patent  has  been  elected  by  Mr.  Jackson  on 
Great  Western  estate,  excellent  results  having  been 
obtained  by  Mr.  Mackie,  who  will,  it  is  hoped,  make 
them  public  as  soon  as  convenient.  The  machine  is, 
we  believe,  very  simple,  being  in  reality  the  better 
application  of  the  principle  of  Blackman’s  fan.  Mr. 
Jackson  is  confident,  with  a little  more  time,  of  being 
able  to  so  improve  the  machine  as  to  give  us  one 
which  will  enable  planters  to  wither  quite  indepen- 
dently of  the  weather,  and  how  great  a boon  that 
will  be,  only  those  situated  in  districts  where  a good 
wither  is  almost  impossible  to  obtain  in  certain  sea- 
sons, can  appreciate. 
Mr.  J ackson  will  be  back  some  time  next  year,* 
and  be  lias  our  best  wishes,  for  no  one  has  done  more 
for  tea  planters  than  he  has. — Local  “ Times.” 
The  > xp-r' mental  farm  established  by  the  Gov- 
ernment of  Victoria  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining 
the  suitability  of  the  soil  and  the  olimate  for 
numerous  kinds  of  orops,  and  for  the  instruction  of 
students  in  agriculture,  now  extends  to  nearly  five 
thousand  seres.  It  is  situated  at  Dookie,  in  the 
north  eastern  districts  of  the  Colony,  and  has  been 
in  practical  operation  for  the  last  seventeen  or 
e'ghtcen  years.  A small  portion  of  the  land  is 
under  vines,  another  portion  is  devoted  to  Zante 
currants,  and  various  medicinal  plants  are  also 
cultivated.  The  Dookie  experimental  farm,  however, 
repre=ents  but  a small  part  ofwhat  is  being  done  for 
agri  u ture  by  the  Government  of  Viotoria.  The  Agri- 
cultural College  Aot  provides  for  the  permanent  re- 
servation from  sale  of  150,000  acres  of  Crown  and  bv 
way  of  endowment  of  State  Agricultural  00  1 ges  and 
experimental  farms. — Indian  Agriculturist  July  23. 
* Mr.  Jackson  told  us  that  he  would  not  be  back 
in  Ceylon  for  some  ;ye»rs.— E»,  T.A. 
